* Minor spoilers for earlier on in the manga
Man, where do I begin with Given. I remember picking this up a few years after it was first released and I was absolutely blown away about how much detail and care could go into creating a manga like this. It wasn't as popular as it is now with the anime adaptation, but I was absolutely blown away about the fact that so many people could come together to appreciate a story. Even crazier, a shounen-ai story appriciated as art.
Story : 8/10
The thing about Given is that some people might be going into it expecting BL
...
bullshit nonsense, but then hit by a massive dumptruck of emotions surrounding it. Most people don't think of the BL genre as good, just because of the fujoshi/fudanshi fetishizing men for the sake of fetishizing men. Most people aren't okay with that, and I understand. What drives people away from Given is usually the 'Yaoi' tag. But get this. Given is not yaoi.
I think what makes Given memorable is because of the fact that it's about serious soul-searching, moving on from a loved one, even emotional abuse. It takes on the story of those high schoolers as very mature, and handled with care. I can tell almost each and every chapter is written with care. It's able to maintain a mature, romantic, musical, still-kinda-dark atmosphere, while having genuinely uplifting moments. Sometimes, monumental. There were definitely little moments in the story which I'll remember easily. Like the time that Given tackled a subject like sexuality in a shounen-ai anime. It shows Ueno's distress, and Akihiko's a fucking legend for supporting him.
It faces these subjects in a positive light, which I am ever thankful for. LGBT people face so many struggles in regards to who they love. I have immense respect for Kizu to bring these struggles to life, and create a realistic shounen-ai manga that surpassed my expectations by miles. Also, the comedy is some of the best I've seen.
I also loved how she incorporated the topic and passion of music. It's not like some lighthearted stuff you see in K-ON, but it's actual passion for the medium. As a musician myself, I loved to see someone like Mafuyu also being saved by music. Exploring the characters' relationship with music was also a great addition. It's not just how the characters connect with each other in Given. It's how the connect to what they love, their passions, and connecting with themselves. And it's beautiful.
Art : 10/10
Given is my favorite manga in terms of it's art. It never falls short, especially in the later chapters. The art is carefully produced, and in the more emotional panels it got me thinking like 'Holy shit, this is top tier.' Kizu is amazing at showing and bringing out emotions, portraying them, and internalizing them. The drawings of the characters and backgrounds are so detailed, and Kizu has a significant art style that I'd recognize anywhere.
Character : 9/10
Another thing about Given that makes it so loved and special are the characters. I feel like I can feel for them, connect with them, and they're all amazingly written and built up. They all have their moments to shine, and I'm still waiting on Hiiragi/Shizusumi arc. They were written off as kinda background characters in the anime, so I hope they're able to produce a season 2 that might center around them somewhat once there's enough source material.
I hate seeing people bash Ueno's character. He's such a supportive, amazing soul. People write him off as a basic protag, but that's not the case. Even if he's moody most of the time, you can't forget that he brought Mafuyu out of that dark hole after Yuki's death. Not all the way, but he made Mafuyu's path to letting go just a little bit easier. He cares for that boy so much, helped him grow and move on, and you call him basic and replaceable?
The four main characters are all different in the best way, and they're all likeable and they all make mistakes. Given is very human as it acknowledges and presents that people and relationships are not, and never will be perfect. Just as Akihiko made a very huge mistake, he was able to be forgiven and redeemed. Mafuyu and Ueno fight sometimes. Because that's how people and relationships work.
Enjoyment : 8/10
I really enjoy the manga for many, many of the reasons listed above. My only real complaint is how long it takes for them to be consistently released. Given chapters only come out once every couple months, and it's usually only about 10-20 pages. It must take Kizu very long to produce, and I have nothing against her. It's just a bit frustrating when there's only a little bit of material that comes out every two months.
Overall : 9/10
This will continue to be my favorite shounen-ai/music series for a long time, I think. I have seen nothing like this with the label BL slapped on it, and people actually received it very well. I absolutely love the fact that you can enjoy Given regardless of gender, sexuality, and any other factor out there.
May 21, 2021
* Minor spoilers for earlier on in the manga
Man, where do I begin with Given. I remember picking this up a few years after it was first released and I was absolutely blown away about how much detail and care could go into creating a manga like this. It wasn't as popular as it is now with the anime adaptation, but I was absolutely blown away about the fact that so many people could come together to appreciate a story. Even crazier, a shounen-ai story appriciated as art. Story : 8/10 The thing about Given is that some people might be going into it expecting BL ... |
